Center for Foot Disorders

Research

At the front edge of discoveryFamilies often question if clubfoot is inherited. There is a positive family history of clubfoot in approximately 25 percent of all patients, suggesting a genetic basis for this disorder. If one child in the family has clubfoot, the chance of a second child being born with clubfoot is around 5 percent. Dr. Matthew Dobbs and his team at St. Louis Children's Hospital are at the front edge of discovering the genetic factors responsible for clubfoot. By studying DNA from families from around the world, the team has already identified several genes implicated in clubfoot. Our ultimate goal is to work on a preventive strategy. Patients in our clinic will be invited to participate in this important research.

For more articles and abstracts, see the National Institute of Health's National Library of Medicine PubMed page for Dr. Matthew B. Dobbs.

Center for Musculoskeletal and Metabolic DiseasesIn 2006, St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine partnered together to create the Children's Discovery Institute (CDI), a collaboration that funds the work of creative scientists and clinicians in collaborative, multi-disciplinary research aimed at some of the most devastating childhood diseases and disorders.

The Center for Musculoskeletal and Metabolic Diseases, one of four centers within CDI, focuses on the genetic basis of musculoskeletal birth defects, childhood arthritis, metabolic diseases, and related disorders. Dr. Dobbs and his team conduct ongoing research that will benefit both medical professionals and patients to make treatment less invasive, more efficient and provide better long term outcomes. Learn more